Boo Boo
by Nefertanya dragongurl Ahhotep
Summary: Yachiru's been injured in the human world, and it's up to Toshiro to get her patched up. Some fluffy fun in Karakura Town! If you know me, you know where this is headed! :D


_Author's note: For those of you who might be wondering, I fully intend to finish 'Swordplay'; I just keep hitting writer's block. So please enjoy this latest bit of Hitsuzu fluff until then! Thanks!_

Boo-Boo

By Nefertanya dragongurl Ahhotep

Toshiro was really **pissed** off. He had no real idea why Kusajishi was here, only that she had somehow conned her way into coming with his team to the World of the Living.. And despite the fact Madarame and Aysegawa had _promised_ to keep her out of his hair, here he was, in the Kurosaki clinic, trying to keep the pink-haired girl from raiding a jar of lollipops on the top shelf!

"Dammit, Yachiru!" he growled as she tried to use his face as leverage, "Sit down and be quiet! You're supposed to be injured!" Kami, didn't he have enough to deal with keeping Matsumoto in line?

"I am!" She giggled. Then, to his utter surprise, she stopped moving, collapsed into his outstretched arms, and began to wail piteously. He looked over his shoulder to see a pretty young nurse standing in the doorway. _'Oh great...!'_ Toshiro thought with a grimace. By now, Yachiru had this act down pat. Three other nurses, older but clad in the same salmon pink outfit and matching shoes and pinched hat, had fallen for the phoney-baloney routine, giving the con artist candy to 'soothe' her while chastising him for trying to stop her antics!

This new nurse was about his height, maybe a little shorter, with caramel colored hair that was pulled back into pigtails on either side of her head. Her eyes were a chocolate brown, and her gaze was as sweet and warm as the confection itself. She smiled brightly as she walked up to the odd couple in the awkward embrace. Leaning in, she said cheerfully, "That act would have been more convincing if I hadn't already been watching you bouncing around like a monkey for the past few minutes!"

Yachiru immediately stopped wailing and blinked at the teen. "I want a lolli!" she demanded merrily.

"No. Lollies, I'm afraid, only go to _**good**_ little patients _**after**_ their examination is finished."

Not used to being denied something she wanted (even Kenny never *really* said 'No'!), Little Yachiru's features darkened. Her lower lip trembled, her eyes twitched, her body tensed…. and then she leaped out of the white-haired teen's arms and threw a mega-sized tantrum on the floor!

Toshiro wasn't sure what to do. He'd never had to deal with _little_ children, just big babies who caroused the night away in bars and whined about paperwork! He could try to order her to cease and desist, but what good would it really do? It's not as if she listened to anyone besides Zaraki!

But the young woman just kept smiling in a doting, motherly kind of way; like she was watching her toddler deep in restful sleep instead of a she-demon thrashing about the tile floor. Toshiro had to admit the girl had some _serious_ moxie.

Finally, Yachiru slammed her injured wrist on the floor and howled in pain, curling up into a little ball and whimpering. Even Byakuya would have felt a twang of guilty sympathy for this wretched form.

"There, all finished now?" The brunette asked, kneeling down to dab at the little one's eyes. Defeated, Yachiru sniffed and nodded dumbly.

"Then let's get back up on he table so we can take a look at you, hm?"

Yachiru allowed the older woman to lift her up and settle her on the tissue covered metal table. "My name is Kurosaki Yuzu. What's yours?"

"Yachiru Kusajishi." She replied dourly.

"And is this your brother?"

"COUSIN!" Toshiro interjected quickly. "Hitsugaya Toshiro."

She smiled shyly, quickly ducking her head only to quickly look back at him again. "Hi."

"Hi." he replied nervously. His stomach suddenly felt fluttery, the tips of his ears grew warm. Fortunately, no one noticed it.

"Now, Yachiru-chan, can you tell me what happened?" Yuzu asked as she pulled back the little girl's sleeve and ran her hands over the bruised area.

_Kuso_! He'd been so busy trying to control her; he'd forgotten to coach her on what to say! There was no way they could say to this ordinary human that Yachiru had been injured while harassing Pluses! "I was trying to make the funny ghost man play with me!"

KUSO!

"Uh, what she means is that she was running around playing with her invisible friend-"

"No I'm not!" Yachiru said indignantly. "I was running after the spirit man! He's a big fat bald man who sweats a lot when he's scared!" Yachiru brightened at this. "He's REALLY funny!"

Yuzu pulled back and gave her a funny look. "You...play with ghosts?"

"NO!" Shouted the Captain

"Mm-hmm!" Nodded the Lieutenant.

"I see..." Yuzu leaned over to seriously eye the little girl. Toshiro seriously eyed the way the taut fabric accentuated her figure. "What you're telling me is that you were trying to frighten someone into playing with you."

Yachiru's bright smile dimmed as she pondered this new revelation. "Um..yeah, I guess so." She said slowly.

"And what happened after he ran away...?"

Yachiru was silent a little longer, then held her slightly swollen arm in front of her. "I got hurt?"

Yuzu smiled encouragingly. "Mm-hmm. So what's the conclusion here?"

Yachiru smiled back cutely. "Don't chase the ghosts?"

Both girls laughed as Toshiro stared in stunned amazement and complete confusion. "Well, I was thinking something more along the lines of playing nicely with people, but yeah, that works too! Now, your x-rays came back fine, and I don't see anything here some ice and TLC can't fix, so I'm just going to wrap this up nice and tight..."she wound an ACE bandage around the tiny wrist and tucked it into a fabric sling made of bright pink fabric and covered with butterflies and flowers, "...and you're going to wear this for a couple of days."

"Awwww! I don't wanna!"

"Ah, ah, ah! You need to take care of that arm! But like I said, it's only for a couple of days, and besides, think of all the sympathy you can get while wearing it!" Yachiru brightened considerably at that. Toshiro groaned and rubbed his temples. That's all he needed- Yachiru running up to complete strangers to get fussed over all week! The sound of rustling and a heavy glass jar sliding across the shelf above drew him from his despair, and his teal blue were met by the sight of a well formed calf sheathed in shimmery hose. He looked up to find Yuzu standing on the table, pawing thru the big heavy jar of treats that Yachiru had been so desperate to get into earlier. His eyes roamed up and down a few times before she finally descended, blushing madly as she gave him a 'see something you like?' kind of look. Yuzu turned to Yachiru, 2 lollipops held in her out-stretched hand.

"Well, my dear, since you learned your lesson and promised to be a good girl - "

Toshiro objected. "But she didn't-"

"SHH!" Hissed the little lieutenant.

"-Since she's _going_ to be a good girl from now on, I suppose I can allow you to have a lolli!" Yachiru snatched one up with a squeal, ripping off the cellophane with her good hand and popping it into her eager mouth before trying to nab the second. Yuzu pulled back with a reprimanding 'tsk'.

"For your cousin." Yuzu warned. "You've given him an awful lo of grief today, I'm sure!"

Though not fond of sugary sweets, he found he simply didn't have it in him to turn down her offer. "Thank you."

She smiled with a nod, and helped Yachiru down off the table. She looked back at him. "Don't forget to come back in a few days to have her arm re-looked at. I'm here all the time, so I'll make a note on her file so you can just ask for me when you come in."

Toshiro furrowed his brow. "But why should we trouble you like that, Miss Kurosaki?"

She gave him a smile that was almost a leer. "Because...!" she replied pointedly.

Toshiro's whole face reddened this time as understanding set in.

"Wha's wif your 'ace?" Yuzu asked around a mouthful of watermelon-y goodness.

"Nothing!" He yelped and shoved her through the door. At the last moment, he turned and grabbed the closing door. "Hey...uhm, I just want to say...thanks. For being so understanding."

Yuzu coyly walked up to him, opening the door wider by placing her hand below his, causing a pleasant friction as her fingers brushed over his. "Anytime." She purred, as she walked through and down the hall.

The young captain stared after her, momentarily breathless. "To-shiiiiroooooo!" Yachiru grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled him roughly to the front desk, where Toshiro settled the bill and made an appointment for later that week with the overly made up receptionist.

Outside, the little lieutenant pranced and sang merrily around the sidewalk, as children are wont to do when they are pepped up on sugar. Toshiro ignored her antics and just stared up at the starry sky, already eager for the chance to talk to the young nurse again.

_'Kurosaki Yuzu...'_

Wait a second! He stopped dead in his tracks as a chill of ice washed over him like an icy shower. _**Kurosaki**_ Yuzu? As in the _Kurosaki_ Clinic? As in _**Ichigo**_ _Kurosaki?_

_**"KUSO!"**_


End file.
